Galway Summer Festival

The Galway Festival is undoubtedly the highpoint of the summer season with seven glorious days and nights of high-class racing. It has been said about the festival that it once brought Galway City to a standstill, but now it brings the whole country to a standstill. This is an event that captures the imagination of the nation and has been eulogised in song, verse and on canvas by many noted artists. The 2007 Festival saw the unveiling of the new Killanin Stand which provides extra viewing and corporate hospitality for festival racegoers and in general, the facilities at Galway are a match for any in the country.

In terms of the action on the racecourse, the highlight of the week is arguably the historic Galway Plate, a valuable handicap chase that was first run in 1869 and takes places on the Wednesday of the meeting. The day after that, the Galway Hurdle takes centre stage. A valuable handicap hurdle that was first run in 1913, it invariably produces an exciting finish and tends to be a fierce betting heat. One thing that is almost certain is that every year Dermot Weld will be crowned leading trainer of the meeting. He achieved that feat for the 26th time in 2010 and there is no reason to suggest that his remarkable run of form at the meeting will not continue for many years to come. 

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